“Dr. Liebermann.” Her voice floated over the traffic. “I am delighted you could come. Please, do come in.”
As was his custom, Liebermann spent a few minutes with Frau Rubenstein before following Amelia up the stairs to her apartment. Although Frau Rubenstein's conversation had been unremarkable, he thought he had detected a certain wry amusement in her tone—a certain knowingness. He might even have commented on this had he not had other things on his mind.
“It must be nearly a month since you last visited us,” said Amelia. “I believe it was shortly after the detectives’ ball.”
“Yes,” Liebermann replied. “Mid-January I think.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him: “How time flies.… Unfortunately, I have not had sufficient opportunity to organize dancing lessons with Herr Janowsky… but I still intend to do so.”
“You have been busy… at the university?”
“Yes,” she replied. “And there have been other matters.…”
Again she looked over her shoulder and smiled.
When they reached the top landing, Amelia Lyd gate ushered Liebermann into her small parlor. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he came to an abrupt halt. There, sitting at the gateleg table, on the chair that he had so frequently occupied, sat the gentleman in whose arms Miss Lyd gate had swooned outside the Café Segel. The man looked relaxed. His legs were crossed, revealing one of his boots, which was stitched with an ornate and somewhat garish pattern. His wide-brimmed hat was hanging off the back of his chair, and he sported a curious necktie that seemed to be no wider than a shoelace.
The gentleman stood up and extended his hand.
“You will forgive me for addressing you in my native language, Herr Dr. Liebermann, but I have a strong suspicion that your English will be very much superior to my German—which is lamentably poor. It is a great honor to meet a man of whom I have heard such good report.” He grasped Liebermann's hand, and squeezed it hard. The man's English was peculiarly inflected. Indeed, it was very different from the English that Liebermann remembered from the time he'd spent in London. Nor was the man's clothing particularly British-looking.
“Permit me to introduce myself,” the man continued. “Randall Pelletier-Lyd gate—at your service, sir.” “You are Miss Lyd gate's… cousin?” Amelia came forward. “No. Randall is my brother.” “But…” Liebermann looked at the woman standing beside him. She was glowing with pride. “It was my understanding that you do not have—”
“A brother… Indeed.” Amelia interrupted him. “That was my understanding too, but apparently I was mistaken.”
Liebermann was thrown into a state of confusion. He experienced a sense of intense relief—almost joy—but was then immediately alarmed by his reaction. He was in love with Trezska—wasn't he? “I think,” said Liebermann. “I think… you had better explain.” “With great pleasure,” Amelia replied. “However, before we proceed, you will no doubt require refreshment—so I must first make some tea.”
“Many years before making the acquaintance of Greta Buchbinder— that is to say Amelia's mother—our father, Samuel Lyd gate, had enjoyed a brief but intimate dalliance with an actress: Constance Vaughn.” Randall's voice was mellow, and his narrative flowed like the song of a lyric tenor. “Their acquaintance was prematurely ended when the English Shakespeare Company—with whom Constance played as a principal—boarded the White Star vessel Oceanic, bound for New York. The company was embarked upon a tour of America that would take them through the southern states. Although Constance had promised to write to Samuel Lyd gate, he never heard from her again—and so he never learned that she had departed from Liverpool pregnant, carrying his child. Constance—my mother—was an unconventional woman. She was impulsive, prone to violent passions, and—I fear—in her youth might reasonably have been described as a little… cranky.”
“I'm sorry?” Liebermann said.
“Mentally unstable,” Amelia interjected in German.
“Ah, of course. Please continue.”
Randall took a sip of Earl Grey.
“In New Orleans, the English Shakespeare Company performed two tragedies and a comedy. One of these tragedies was Romeo and Juliet—and my mother played the lead. In the audience was a local businessman called George Pelletier. So impressed was he by the young actress that he sent her flowers and showered her with gifts. A single dinner engagement sufficed to convince him that she was the love of his life, and he proposed that they should be married. My mother, being an indefatigable romantic—her senses assailed by the exotic sights and sounds of New Orleans, drunk with the prospect of adventure and excitement—agreed to the proposal immediately, and one week later when the English Shakespeare Company left town, they did so with one less actress in their troupe.
“I do not know whether my mother and her new husband discussed my paternity—but what I do know is that I was raised in the belief that George Pelletier was my father, and he accordingly treated me like a son. Indeed, a boy could not have wished for a more devoted parent.…He died five years ago, and if grief is a measure of affection, then the depth of my sorrow confirmed the strength of our bond. He was a kind, generous man, and I continue to miss his counsel and laughter. Alas, this great loss was soon to be compounded by another. Last year my mother succumbed to a tubercular infection, and on her deathbed—for reasons that I still can only guess at—she decided that the time had come to reveal the truth concerning my provenance. I discovered the name, occupation, and nationality of my real father: a revelation the effect of which—I trust you will appreciate— cannot be overestimated.
“Lyd gate is not so common a name in the British Isles, and, having resolved to begin my inquiries among the better educational establishments of London, I was soon rewarded with success. However, I was reluctant to approach Samuel directly. I did not know what manner of man he was—or how he might respond if I presented myself at his door.
“I am accustomed to uncovering facts—it is, indeed, what constitutes the greater part of my work. I decided that I should discover a little more about Samuel's circumstances before alerting him to my existence. I wanted to know more about him in order to better judge whether or not my appearance would be welcome. My agent in London later informed me that Samuel Lyd gate had a daughter— Amelia—who was currently studying at the University of Vienna.…
“Dr. Liebermann, you cannot imagine how this intelligence affected me. A sister. I had a younger sister!” Randall looked at Amelia, and his expression, Liebermann noticed, was still—in spite of the passage of time—incandescent with joyful disbelief. “I do not know why I was so profoundly moved—but moved I most certainly was. Further, it occurred to me that there might be certain advantages if I took the trouble to contact my sister before I approached my father: a younger person might be less rigid—better equipped to assimilate such dramatic news. She might even be prepared to act as a kind of intermediary. So I resolved to travel to Vienna… and here I am.”
“A remarkable story,” said Liebermann. “Truly remarkable.”